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Barbecue Shrimp

Description: This misnamed dish - the shrimp are neither grilled nor smoked, and the dish has no barbecue sauce - is simple: huge whole shrimp in a tremendous amount of butter and black pepper. The essential ingredient is large, heads-on shrimp; the fat in the shrimp adds flavor, Fitzmorris writes. The recipe was created in the mid-1950s at Pascal's Manale Restaurant.

Preparation:

Rinse shrimp and shake off excess water. Place in a large skillet (or two) over medium heat, and pour lemon juice, wine, Worcestershire and garlic over it. Bring liquids in pan to a light boil and cook, turning shrimp over with a spoon every 2 minutes or so, until all brown-gray color in shrimp is gone. Do not overcook! At the first moment you think the shrimp might be done, they will be: lower heat to the minimum.

Cover shrimp with a thin but complete layer of black pepper. You must be bold with this. When you think you have enough pepper, you still need a little more. Add paprika and salt.

Cut butter into tablespoon-size pieces and distribute over the shrimp. With a big spoon, turn shrimp over every 1 to 2 minutes. Agitate pan as butter melts over shrimp and emulsifies into liquid at bottom of pan. When no more solid butter is visible, remove pan from burner.

Serve shrimp with lots of sauce in bowls, with hot French bread for dipping. (Also plenty of napkins, maybe bibs.)

Note: You may have to special-order shrimp with heads on. Otherwise, you can substitute regular shrimp in shells.